What to do in the event of an unintended pregnancy?

If you are pregnant but did not plan to be, you have 4 options. You can make your own decision about the pregnancy.

If you decide to continue the pregnancy, you can:

• Abortion:
  If you are pregnant and do not want to have a baby, you can terminate the pregnancy by getting an abortion. In the Netherlands, abortion is allowed up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. This has been established in law because a child of up to 24 weeks cannot live outside the uterus. In practice, an abortion is usually done up to 22 weeks of pregnancy. Before you can have an abortion, you have a consultation with a general practitioner or other doctor to help you make a decision.
   
• Take care of the baby:
  If you decide to have the baby and take care of them yourself, you have to arrange and prepare a lot of things before and after the birth of your child. Make an appointment with a midwife as soon as possible.
   
• Put the baby (temporarily) in foster care:
  This means the child will (temporarily) live with another family. With a placement in foster care the option remains that you as a parent are in touch with your baby. For the law you will still have custody of the child. 
   
• Put the baby up for adoption:
  This means the child always lives with another family. In the case of adoption, the child gets the surname of the adoptive parents. You no longer have custody of the child. The adoptive parents will have custody of the child. They can take all decisions about the child.

  Guidance when considering giving up your child for adoption
  If you are unintentionally pregnant and thinking about giving up your child, you will be guided and assisted through this process. Fiom offers you support in the selection process during pregnancy and after childbirth. You can can register for guidance on the Fiom website (website is in Dutch but can be translated to different languages). You can also download a brochure about adoption in different languages.

It can be difficult to choose what you want to do with your pregnancy. If you are in doubt you can have an appointment with a specialized professional in the Netherlands. This professional will not provide advice. They will help you (and your partner) sort out all the thoughts and feelings you have to come to your own decision. This kind of appointment does not cost money.  

Contraception

To prevent a repeated unintended pregnancy, you can use contraception. You can discuss this with your family doctor, midwife or in the abortion clinic.